


Mere Parlor Tricks

by Animefan22, Blissful_Rouzes



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Bill being a general ass, F/F, F/M, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Incest, Lots of Angst, M/M, Multi, Reverse!Pines, onesided relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-25 08:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2614742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animefan22/pseuds/Animefan22, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blissful_Rouzes/pseuds/Blissful_Rouzes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gideon Gleeful is sour as ever, rotting away in prison. But what happens when Bill Cipher of all people offer him a deal? What happens when said deal causes two insane people to arrive? Those two insane people are the last people he'd ever expect to see.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Deal Is Struck

"Five years... I've been incarcerated by those damned Pine-twins for five years!" He allowed himself to get pulled into bitter memories, recalling  the joy on Dipper and dear sweet Mabel's face, as he was forced into a cop car. He sat up abruptly, looking around as his eyes land on the iron bars keeping him trapped from the outside world. If it weren't for those twins, he wouldn't be stuck in this mess. Years of waiting for his parole to happen, to leave this box of convicts.

"I'll get my vengeance, I swear on my good name I will!" he grumbled, running a hand through his hair. A scowl soon graced his features, his hair flumping back after his hand left. The little color around him seemed to fade into bleak nothingness. His eyes grew wide in that instant, knowing full well who was gracing him with a ‘visit’.

A distortion came into focus of the shape of a triangle, the far reaches of the Unknown becoming visible for a split second before Bill finally takes form as the bright yellow “Eye of Providence”.

Gideon was quick to point an accusatory digit at the demon.

“Demon! I thought I was through with you when our deal was broken!” Bill shook with a chuckle, almost a full laugh, as he floated around the male, seeming to grin without such a facial feature to show it with.

“And you were! But you seem desperate and pathetic enough now, and being as I’m such a _kind and generous soul_ , I figured you’d like to make a deal! Nothing as boring as ‘I want out of this darn place of a prison!’” the Dream Demon mocked him, his arms moving all the while he spoke.

Gideon frowned, his brows knitting together as he tried to look for any kind of a give-away that Bill might have. After a long pause, his arms soon crossed, now glaring daggers at the Triangle of a Demon.

“You know I’d fail, didn’t you?” That comment earned another bout of laughter from the Demon, as he leaned back, his legs crossing as his arms linked up behind his back seeming to give off a relaxed pose.

“Haha! How’d you know?” one of his hands moved, pressed to his ‘face’. “Maybe you aren’t as dumb as you seem, Porkchop!” he laughed again after he teased the portly male.

“P-Porkchop?! Why you--!” His foot stamped hard in frustration, teeth griting and grinding together, his face reddening from anger, frustration and embarrassment. Gideon had definitely grown some since he was eight. He was still chubby, but he now had a slightly toned body. The Demon was on his last nerves now.

“Hahaha, I’m just teasing with you kid! But hey, while we’re talking, we got a deal or not?” the Demon’s hand was thrust out, blue flame encasing it. When Gideon didn’t take it initially, Bill got huffy.

“Tick tock, kiddo, I’ve got more important deals to make with more important people than you!”

“How do I know you won’t fail me like last time?” He shot the other an accusatory look, prison sure didn’t help his trust issues.

“I’m a changed Demon, kid!” bill responded hoping to win him over.

Gideon took a breath, sneer now making its way to his face as he thought for a long moment. Upon taking another breath, he took a step forward.

“I want someone who will help me. Someone who thinks exactly like me and someone who won’t argue!”

Bill gave a snort of a laugh. He leaned back as his eye fell shut, mocking him again. A huff sounded from the other man, he was now getting impatient. The demon let out a soft chuckle once more after hearing that. His optic soon opened, normally high pitched squeal of a voice dropping low.

“Is that all?”

Gideon felt something shake in his very core before he nodded his head slow. His hand soon jutting out in a similar manner as Bill had done to him before.

Bill’s eye took on a wicked gleam as he shook the portly man’s hand, beaming regardless.

“Deal!” he laughed and floated backwards, hands coming to reside on his sides. “Can’t wait to see how this turns out!” there was a suspicion that the end of that sentence was to be a thought or not.

Gideon gave an uncertain look, dreading about his desire and what it would entail. He took steps back before the Demon spoke more.

“Pleasure doing business with ya, kid! Remember, Reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold BYE!” he basically shouted as the Dreamscape shattered, Gideon’s eyes snapping open not long after.

He stared down at his hands, brow furrowing together in thought and he soon regretted his decision. The opening of a gate behind him pulled him from his thoughts. He whips around to see two familiar twins. He flares up in an instant, chest puffed out as he gets ready to shout every obscenity he knows at them, only ceasing when he sees the look on the guard’s face. With a soft clearing of his throat, he stares the two down, walking cautiously out of his cell as he’s lead out by the twins.

He leans forward, weary of the twins, speaking in hushed tones.

“Pine twins, what in Gods name are you doing?” his sentence trails off as he’s brought into the Inmate Property pick-up to collect the belongings they hand over when their prison term starts. A look between pleasant surprise and blatant distrust flashes on his round face, looking skeptically at the twins.

“What exactly is going on here Pines-- I know for a fact!” the words came out sharp as if to cut the solid air, shooting a glare towards Dipper. “...that you two would never help me--” a flash of a movement and ‘Dipper’ turned around, distinct ice blue eyes gleaming, almost glowering, down at the other, a smile forming on his lips.

“Oh, Gideon,” he began the sentence with a laugh, Mabel walking over and collecting the items. “We’re _family_ ” emphasis on the last word. He then stepped back, his hands coming up to adjust his bolo tie. Gideon was soon left dumbfounded. The Pine twins, family? Impossible! If there were cousins, or hell, even siblings he didn’t know about before hand, he’d _make it_ his number one priority to find out.

“Come again, Pine?” he asked, not quite getting the gist of it all.

Dipper made a low sound, looking to his sister, nodding his head, allowing her in front. Swiftly, his belongings were shoved into his hands. Mabel grinned, leaning forward. “We need to get you out of those filthy rags. A Gleeful should never dress in such poor taste of fashion!” her eyes narrowing, beaming, a smile spreading itself across her lips.

They soon headed out of the prison with little difficulty, much to Gideon’s surprise. Once they were a good distance away from the establishment, they all stopped, the two of them turning to face Gideon, both with grins on their faces. Dipper began, “So. Dear, dear, Gideon. You made a deal, did you not?” his eyes narrowing as he glanced over to his sister.

“Asking for someone who thinks up the same dark, twisted, little thoughts as you do. Scheme plotting, a quick buck, yes?.” Mabel so graciously added.

Gideon stared at them with gruesome horror, his mind working to place the pieces together. “You… were brought here by Cipher.” it was said like a statement when he meant it to be a question. A grin soon broke on his face, looking to the twins now, making a laugh. “Ohoh, I could just die!” his hands came together in gleeful satisfaction.

The twins exchanged a look before focusing back on Gideon, Dipper bowing, his cape rising with the help of his hand, speaking in unison with his sister: “Telepathy Twins at your service.” Dipper soon stood straight, a grin following the action. His sister followed suit, her hands coming together, clasping in front of her. Gideon was processing all this, wrapping his head around the information.

“Telepathy Twins, huh? At… My service?” he questioned, arms crossing.

“Yes, indeed.” Mabel answered his question all too cheerily. “We work together to cause strange, unnatural things to occur. Your friend - Bill, was it? - personally requested our help.”

“We were to turn it down at first,” Dipper continued the sentence. “But once he said you were a Gleeful, we felt the need to jump right on it.” Dipper nodded with a hum, walking around Gideon, inspecting and examining him, a finger coming to rest on his jaw. “Until Bill’s end of the deal is completed, yes. We are at your service.” he answered the second part of Gideon’s question, his words seemed to hold venom at the last part but he was quick to move on, walking back into the shorter man’s line of sight.

“But truly,” Mabel interjected, shifting the attention onto her, “lets get you changed.” and with that, they were off.


	2. And You Are?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon and the Gleeful twins begin to settle back down after getting him out of prison. Dipper and Mabel Pines return for their final summer in Gravity Falls

Gideon cleared his throat, smiling at his ‘guests’, they had gotten back to his home after some…”fighting”, and now had a moment of peace. Everything was far too quiet for Gideon’s tastes, however, and to break the silence, he spoke up laughing softly.

“So, since we’ll be working with together, we’ll have to know each other too, won’t we?” he piqued, gazing at the twins. Dipper was uninterested, slouching in his chair, Mabel wasn’t much better either.

“Gideon,” Dipper began, looking over at the younger man, solemn and even. “We are working together under the conditions of a deal. And although you might be a Gleeful… That doesn’t mean we will be so open.” his words drawled out, looking away once done, his eyes closing, standing, then bidding them both a goodnight before leaving the room.

Gideon couldn’t help but frown at the other’s behaviour, muttering “Same as he is here” before trailing off. He then focused on Mabel, smiling a wide, flashy, toothy grin. “So… Mabel, care to tell me anything, darlin’?”

The girl in question shot him a sharp look, warning him about the term he used, before turning to face him, fixing her hair, “If you insist.” she began, crossing her legs.

“I’m Mabel Gleeful, twin sister of Dipper Gleeful,” she moved her hand in a circular motion, “yada yada, deals with demons, I’m here now.”

Gideon was taken aback by her mature, callous nature before shaking his head and clearing his throat again, this time with a cough. “So, what did you do to make Bill chose you and Dipper personally?” He beams, shifting in his seat, awaiting a response.

“Nothing, really.” She shrugged her shoulders, looking down at her nails before glancing up, still seeing his disgustingly happy face. She was unable to hide a sneer “We just bamboozled our own Bill into making a neverending deal with us. We get full rein, he has no power. Promising to keep him safe in exchange for whatever we would so need to protect him. Evidently, he saw no such flaw with it. Plain and simple.” she looked nonchalant about it but if she would look up, she’d be met with a wide-eyed kid, his mouth hanging agape at how they could do something so… so… Devious. He’d never thought of doing something like that before.

Gideon’s happy expression melted when the realization of the words hit him again. He blinked a few times, then.

“Wow-ee…” He dotted, smiling at her. “No wonder he was so impressed.” Mabel couldn’t stop the a faint blush from dusting her cheeks. She was thankful for the dim lighting of the room, for it masking her now rosy cheeks.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Dipper smiled from ear to ear, hoping off the bus, shifting his back as he looks to his twin. Finally, another summer to spend in Gravity Falls; not to mention its their last one before graduation. Dipper was excited, to put it lightly, he was ready to get back into the swing of things with the mysteries of Gravity Falls, and quite possibly figure out who wrote the Journal.

“Bro bro!” Mabel shouted, wrapping him up in a tight hug, dragging him from his thoughts. “C’mon! Let’s head inside before we head out to do the mystery stuff.” She let out a squeal of a giggle, grabbed hold of his wrist and practically sprinted to the front door of the Shack, brother in tow. She soon knocked on the door, excitedly which resulted in a quick, uneven knock. Dipper grinned when she gave him a look over her shoulder. Their attention was brought back to the door, hearing it creak open with their Grunkle standing in the doorway. Grunkle Stan was dressed for the occasion, his arms outstretched.

“Welcome back, trouble makers!” He said in his gravely voice, pulling the twins in for a hug earning both laughter and grunts of protest from them. “First,” he announced, letting them free of the hug, stepping back into the building to let them in. It was dark, which was odd for the Shack. Once they heard the door close however, both the twins’ eyes widened, one in fear and the other in excitement. The click of a light-switch flicked the lights on. Both twins were now greeted with everyone in the middle of the room - Grenda, Wendy, Candy, Soos, and for some reason Robbie - for a welcoming party. Their eyes bugged out in surprise as their long-time friends welcomed them back and greeted, exchanging hello’s and I missed you’s.

The evening was spent with memories of the year being shared all around, stories being told as well, which lasted till the wee hours. The twins eventually became drowsy, but it was really Dipper, Mabel was talking a mile a minute without means of stopping from the looks of it. He slurred out a good-night and trudged himself upstairs to the shared attic room.

He gave the room a once-over, making sure it wasn’t disturbed of its peace. Once he deemed everything to be in it’s respective place, he soon gave the room another sweep, looking for his Journal, before his eyes fell on the desk that was situated between the two twin beds. He gave a small smile, getting into bed, only now realizing it to be a bit too small, his feet hanging off the edge. Sighing, he pulled them up and lay in a semi-fetal position. His eyes grew ever more heavy and soon they closed, drifting off to sleep.

He looked around, knowing he was in a dream, trying to move but finding he couldn’t due to restraints. He panicked, looking around, taking note of his surroundings; blues and expensive furniture, he was facing down a long. dark corridor. It was quiet save for his ragged, sporadic breathing. He dealt with many nightmares to know which kind this one was.

“Odd.”

He froze when he heard the new voice, eyes darting around yet seeing nothing. He remained silent, listening as he began to hear footsteps, two pairs of feet. He forced himself to calm, at least enough, his breathing was still shaky however; two distant figures soon becoming visible, approaching slow. His brow knit together, muffled conversation was all he heard as the bodies became more distinct: one a man, the other female.

Dipper squinted his eyes to get a better look, leaning forward as much as the restraints would allow him to. He frowned when the figures stopped a good distance away from him to not let him see their features in the bleakness of the area. From what he could distinguish of them in the darkness was they seemed to be dressed almost with a dapper flair, as a Magician and their assistant would, both however were dressed in a sickeningly pastel blue, that color of which reminded him of that scumbag Gideon Gleeful, the thought made him queasy. He held it back though, eyeing the two figures suspiciously as they engaged in light chatter of a conversation, most likely about him.

With that last thought, he felt the dream world fading away, slowly sitting up in his bed, looking around and finding himself in a cold sweat. Even though the dream wasn’t like one of his normal nightmares, terrifyingly creepy, gruesome, or downright scary, he couldn’t shake off this feeling of dread that had made his stomach feel twisted, unsettled. He glanced about for a few moments, recalling where he was again, his eyes landing on the clock between him and his sister, who came in while he was sleeping probably.

“4am…” He let out a groan to himself. Too late to go back to sleep, too early to be up.  
He got up out of bed with a grumble, rubbing his neck. ‘Time for a shower’ he thought to himself as he yawned and walked out of the room, down the small stairwell to the bathroom.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Both Gleeful twins were up early, 5am, Dipper with a cup of coffee in hand filled to the brim with cream and sweeteners, the opposite of his sisters bitter black coffee. Mabel cleared her throat, sipping on her own cup of joe, looking down at it. “Did you sleep well, brother? You were thrashing just a tad bit in your sleep last night.” It was a blatant statement, stating how it was a common thing that occurred. That, or she was showing her utter lack of passion and/or interest.

His legs crossed as he glanced at her. “No more than usual, sister dear.” The answer was earnest. The alternative to his response would’ve been: “Same dreams as usual, sister dear.”

She gave a small noise, brows raising as she downs the rest of her drink, setting the mug on the table once the contents were finished, standing and dusting herself off. “I have a few things to attend to.” Dipper got up as well after she spoke those words.

“What would you need to tend to, dear sister? We’ve only just arrived here.” He gave her a look of stern expression. He was waved off, Mabel’s eyes lidding and all bemusement in her voice was gone.

“Why, to wake up the third Gleeful.” She replied, ‘Gleeful’ said with a snarky hiss. “You needn’t follow me around everywhere, brother.” Her words stung, cut like a knife, resulting in Dipper narrowing his eyes in suspicion. The two stood in silence, staring, almost glaring, for a long time until Dipper’s arms crossed.

“Do what you must.” Mabel’s lips pressed together in a thin line, turning as she exited the kitchen, leaving her twin behind.

Mabel walked to Gideon’s room, keeping her lips tight, neutral expression on her features. Once at his door, she knocked before peering in. “Oh, Gideon,” she gave a fake sing-song voice, making her way into the dark room, the door cracked open for a sliver of light. She made her way to his bed. She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking gently. “Wake up, Gideon. We’ve got a big day, today.” she shook more but received no such response. She screwed up her mouth, brow furrowing then. “Gideon wake the hell up.” she peppered pecks all over his face to try to make him wake faster from stimulation.

Gideon made a giggle in his sleep, reaching his hand up, swatting at air in his sleep before a groan and his eyes fluttered open, squinting from the light and then up at his ‘attacker’. “M-M-Mabel?” he stammered, brow raising. “Am I still dreaming?”

“No.” And with that, knowing he was up, she pulled back and was back to her usual self, giving no means of argument or conversation.

He only stared before a soft laugh passed his lips, sitting up and resting his arms on his legs. “Well mornin’ to you, too.” He teased running a hand through his hair. Mabel felt heat rise to her face again, her arms crossing, sauntering over to the door.

“Get ready for the day, Gideon.”

Flicking the lights on and closing the door, Mabel made her way out leaving Gideon in a slight daze from the flash of light. His eyes finally adjusted to the new flood of light, yawning again, and finally getting out of bed to get changed and dressed for the day. Mabel had moved two steps from the door, sighed deeply, then walked the rest of the way back to the kitchen where her brother still was.

Dipper glances up at her, saying nothing initially, upset about earlier, his lips pulled tight into a line with a sour look on his face.

“If I didn’t know better,” he started but soon stopping to adjust his bolo tie. “I’d say you have feelings for the boy.”

That elicited a short laugh from Mabel, an arched brow from her brother. “You forget, sister dearest, that our minds are essentially linked. You cannot lie to me.”

Mabel shot a sharp glare towards her twin, stepping forward, poking his chest with her finger. “As well, I know your dirty little secrets, brother. Watch that sharp tongue of yours or it will be cut out with no mercy.” She threatened, seethed.

He took that threat, his eyes narrowing, taking steps back with a frown now replacing his thin lips. “So hostile…” He trails off. His ears perk to the sound of footsteps coming, his attention to the entryway as Gideon made his way into the room. Gideon smiled, looking from brother to sister, wickedly devious expression on his face.

“We need to start by re-establishing my rein on this quaint, yet horrid little town.” Gideon stated, crossing his arms behind him and pacing to think of a way. His eyes flashed and a grin appeared not too long after that. His head shot up. “And I know just the way to do it.”


	3. Telepathy Twins

 

It had been a long week since Dipper and Mabel arrived back in Gravity Falls; so far nothing of interest, or out of the ordinary, had really happened.  Dipper gave a low whine, sitting on his bed, nose buried in the pages of the Journal, talking low to himself, piquing and quipping a few ideas loud enough for Mabel to hear. He apparently didn’t notice her leaving the room twenty minutes prior.

 

“Mabel?” He looked up and scanned the room before a frustrated groan left his mouth. He closed the book, stood up and stretched from being in such a compromising position on his bed, and headed out the room.  He made a quick dash down the stairs, nearly tripping on himself going to the kitchen, finding his Grunkle and sister chatting idly before both turned their heads to give him attention.

 

“Mabel!” Dipper exclaimed, flailing his arms at his sister, seeming appalled by her disinterest in the subject.  Her hand waved dismissively at him, grinning, before it became solemn.

 

“I think we should settle in first! You know, before we start solving mysteries!” she started, sighing soon after, giving her Grunkle a sidelong glance before another smile appeared.  “And trouble, as you know, always seems to find us Mystery Twins! Remember Gideon Gleeful?” She waited a bit for her brother to answer her. It soon clicked in his mind however almost two minutes later and she soon went on. “Well, word on the street is that he’s out prison…” the sentence trailed off after that when she saw the look of pure terror on her brothers face.

  
  


\---------------------------------------------

 

Gideon’s hands clapped together, a grin on his face.

 

“Oh-hoo!” He giggled, raising a hand to his mouth to stop what else might come tumbling out.  “Things are going so so perfect! More and I’ll soon have this terrible town within my grasp once again!”  Dipper’s prodding at his shoulder brought him out of his monologue.

 

“Should we put the tent up now, or flyers?” the tone of his question showed bitterness and slight aggravation mingling with disgust.  Dipper Gleeful was not one to do work, he had people - one could say servants - to do it for him. The idea of him doing manual labor caused his stomach to churn with disgust and detest.

 

“Flyers first. We wouldn’t want anyone coming without knowing what they’re paying for! Or do we?” Gideon was soon lost in thought and his own monologue again.  Dipper sighed, groaning a little and wishing he could be done with the little twerp as fast as possible. He soon set his arms across his chest, leaning on his right foot as he waited for the younger man to make up his mind.

 

“Tent’s all put up.” Mabel called as she sauntered into the room, dusting off her clean hands.  “What else do you need us to do?”

 

Gideon was soon brought out of his thoughts again by her entrance and voice.  “You what?”

 

“Were you not listening?”  She was met with him shaking his head and a shrug.  She sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose before taking in a breath to compose herself.  “I just got done setting up the tent.”  She gave the silver-haired male a moment to let her words sink in.  When his eyes lit up with joy, he nodded gleefully and grinned wide.  She sighed low again and crossed her arms as well, mimicking her brother.

 

“Now for the flyers!”  Gideon stated happily with delight.

 

Dipper couldn’t suppress the agitated groan slipping past his lips, head lolling back.  Mabel let out a huff, grabbing the stack of advertisements as well as a staple-gun, giving the latter to her brother.  “Come, brother. The faster this is taken care of, the faster we can start.”  She stared him down when he tried to protest with a glare and a sharp message.  He gave into her, holding the tool tightly in his hands, following her outside, passing out flyers to residents as well as stapling them up on walls, poles, and anything with a flat surface - well, one’s that wouldn’t bleed or secrete a form of fluid, that is.

 

Time flew by with little to no bickering, fighting, or anything of the sort. By the time they finished, it was dark out. The twins looked to each other, both their stomachs rumbling and a thought both had, ‘food’.

 

“Hungry?” Dipper teased which earned him a stare and a smirk.

 

“You’re one to talk.” She responded hurrying back to the Gleeful household.

 

When they arrived back, they were more than upset to find that there was no food prepared for them.  Dipper grunted, huffing, stomping his foot and trudged into the kitchen, looking around for food to make or prepare as Mabel went off to find Gideon to give him a good scolding.  Gideon was lounging about in the living room, doing nothing as was expected of a pampered brat as he is - you’d think prison life would change a person. Mabel found him and walked over to him sternly.

 

“Gideon Gleeful, why is there no food prepared to eat?”  She used a sweet voice to start off with, to get him to answer her, although he’d answer if she were to yell or shout about it so it made little to no difference.

 

Gideon glanced over from his chair, a bored expression on his face.  “Oh, right-- I’m used to bein’ served. Not the actual cookin’ part, get my drift, good lookin’?” he gave her a look, grin spreading from ear to ear. Mabel, however, was having none of it.  She gave him a look, storming over to him, grabbing his tie, eyes narrowing into slits. Before she could say anything, they were interrupted by Dipper entering the room, a jar of money in his hand.

 

“We’re going out to eat, because someone,” he seethed the word out, glaring at Gideon, “is too lazy to cook a simple meal.”

 

Mabel gave a cry of disapproval but was interrupted and drowned out by the gurgling of her insides.

 

It was a quiet walk to the diner, no one spoke a word. Gideon opened his mouth to attempt small talk before going silent again. They stepped inside and the twins couldn’t suppress their shudders of disgust of the diner.  Gideon cleared his throat, moving past them and heading to a booth. He seated himself, the twins sitting across from him.

 

“This place is far less clean from our own, back home.”

 

“Indeed, brother. Less of a mess.” Mabel quipped in after Dipper.

Gideon gave a soft chortle at them, waving his hand to dismiss their disgust which only earned him two snorts of disapproval in return.  He let out a huff before tracking down Susan with another hand wave.

 

“Well I’ll be, if it ain’t Gideon Gleeful! I thought you were down at the local prison? What happened?” Susan made small talk handing them their menu’s, taking out her order pad in the process.

 

“I had an epiphany, Susan. I was let free early!” he lied, if he looked up from the menu, he’d see the twins rolling their eyes.  All three of them now looking at the menu earned a quip of ‘what would you like to drink’ from the elder waitress.

 

Dipper let out a grunt thus turning Susan’s attention onto him.

 

“Oh, I completely forgot, the Pines twins are back in town!” she gave a wheezy laugh before a hack of a cough followed up after it, heading for the kitchen now. The twins faced Gideon, eyes narrowing.

 

“So,” Dipper started, eyeing Gideon.

 

“Where do the ‘Pine Twins’ reside? Mabel added, finishing his sentence, frowning sourly at him.

 

Gideon flashed a nervous smile, falling silent for five minutes before their food was brought to them. Sighing, he looked out the diner window.  “I’ll lead the way after our show tomorrow.” He stated dryly, looking to the twins, then down at his food.  “Eat up. It’s a big day tomorrow.”

 

\-----------------------------------------------

 

Dipper was walking through the woods on his own, his thirst for mystery and wonder, figuring out the Unknown, overpowering the basic rules of safety: the only rule being bring Mabel along if he was going out into the woods. He trudged along, paying attention to roots and branches so not to trip over the uplifted roots or hit his head on low hanging branches as he came to a clearing.  He reached into his vest, grabbing and pulling out the Journal, unable to stop the laugh escaping past his lips. He never did grow out of his vests and shorts, what with being lean and all; now he was lean and tall and they still fit like a glove.

 

He shook himself from his thoughts, opening and flipping through the pages of the Journal. He should really be in bed if he and Mabel were to investigate Gideon tomorrow but he needed a focal point of something for now to satisfy his urge to go looking for and solving mysteries.  He laughing mockingly at himself finally finding the page and smiling down at it.  The page read about something along the lines of friendly, sentient trees, only becoming aggressive if someone were to provoke them, for example if someone were to burn down some of the trees in the forest or litter around the forest.

 

He walked for some while before leaning near a tree, inspecting it and rubbing his tired eyes, humming as he wandered.  “Oh trees, please come talk to me!” He stopped, smacking his forehead. If anyone was around to see him, they’d surely think he’d gone mad.

 

“I suppose now would be a good time to head back, huh..” He trailed off, the question being asked to no one but himself as he lifted his wrist to see the time. 2am. Not bad, though it took him two hours to get to where he was in the woods and who knows how long he had been wandering around for.

 

He turned on his heel, slowly trudging, dragging his feet home. He travelled the same path to and from the Shack to the woods for years of being in Gravity Falls. He knew it like it was the back of his hand and required no light, only relying on pure memory, touch, and sight, though minimal as it was.  Once arriving back home, he collapsed in a heap on his bed, eyes feeling heavy, stinging from being open for so long before falling asleep, going out like a light.

 

\---------------------------------------------------

 

He shot up, panting soft and looking around. He wiped his forehead, clambering out of bed quietly, slowly so not to tangle himself in his blankets or to wake his sister. The nightmare again. The same one as the first night. For every night he had it, he questioned if a certain Dream Demon had anything to do with it but didn’t look into it further. He walked down the stairs, skipping his daily shower.

 

He was greeted by Stan and Mabel’s teasing. She plugged up her nose and waved her hand.  “Jeez, brobro, you stink!” she spoke in a nasally voice - due to her nose being plugged - giggling. Stan never missed an opportunity to mock Dipper and joined in on the fun.  Dipper chose to ignore the two of them, making his way over to the fridge in hopes of finding something good to eat. Upon opening it, he perused through his options, consisting of Milk that’s been there since his first summer, Pitt Soda, and Prune Juice. He shuddered at the thought of Prune Juice, grabbing a can of Pitt and opening it.

 

“Nothing even remotely good to eat.” He stated bluntly, chugging the soda.

 

His constant stream of pop was interrupted by Mabel speaking.  “So while you were sleeping the day away, I went into town and found these EVERYWHERE!” She pulled folded up square of a flyer out of her pocket, unfolded it and showed it to her brother with much zeal. She was apparently holding it too close to his face to the point he pulled his head back and squinted to read it.  “Re-welcoming Gideon Gleeful, the child psychic! Along with his two new performers, the ‘Telepathy Twins’!” she lowered her hands, flyer still in them. “Do you know what this means?” She asked, cocking her head to the side.

 

“Something bad?” he asked a bit dryly, though with piqued interest in what she would respond with, chugging his drink again.

 

She sighed soft, concern on her face as her brows knit together.  “Your guess is as good as mine, to be honest.”  The twins shook their heads, looking to Stan for any input he had on the matter only to find him shoveling food off Mabel’s plate into his mouth. He stopped mid motion when he was being stared at.

 

Their Grunkle swallowed whatever was in his mouth at the current, leaning back in his seat. “What? Need a ride? You’re both 18, you can drive yourselves.”  Dipper frowned, downing the rest of his soda and setting the empty can down on the counter.

 

“You’re still our guardian for the time being, Stan..” He let out a huff.  “You still need to watch us and keep us safe.” He frowned again when Stan burst into a raging fit of laughter, pushing his seat out,  standing.

 

“Aww, is Lil’ Dipper scared?” His laughing fit gained volume as he gripped his stomach from the pain it caused him.

 

Dipper’s face turned a dark shade of red from embarrassment.  Mabel took this as a chance to swoop in and save her brother from the torture that is their Grunkle’s taunting and mocking.

“Grunkle Staaaaan!” She whined, hitting his hands on the table.

 

Stan ceased laughing, clearing his throat and cracking his back.  “Fine, you’ve convinced me.” he said in a mock tone, his eyes falling shut, a hand waving in a circular motion in the air.  “Get ready, kids!”

 

The twins, now with ecstatic looks on their faces - Mabel mostly for the two of them - rushed upstairs to get ready; Mabel in a full outfit and Dipper to just pull on his socks and shoes.  Dipper grabbed his Journal, along with an extra notepad and en, rushing back downstairs and heading to Stan’s jalopy of a car, getting in the front seat with a breathy huff.  He leaned back in his seat, sighing soft knowing that it would take the two of them about thirty minutes altogether just to get ready, even on a good day when they both wanted to go out and he didn’t.

 

Almost 15 minutes later, however, both Stan and Mabel made their way out of the shack and to the car.  Finally. Dipper thought, he was getting bored of waiting and to pass the little time that was spent sitting in the overly hot car, he read the Journal over again as he normally would.  He forced a smile their way, leaning back in his seat, slipping the Journal away into his vest and letting out a sigh. He knew the trip would take about 20 minutes or so to get to their destination.

 

“So… What times does the show start again?” He asked directing the question to Mabel as Stan started the car up, ready to back out and get on his way to the show.  Mabel shrugged her shoulders, making a noise.  They rode, for the most part, in silence with the silence being sliced with an occasional joke or two.

 

The whole time Dipper couldn’t help but feel uneasy, thoughts of nightmares plaguing and swirling around in his mind at the worst of times. He forced these thoughts to the back of his mind and climbed out of the car once they got there and stretched his legs, letting out some air.  He scanned the area before looking to his sister.  “Now what?”  He muttered under his breath, never one to actually plan things out, often leaving them to chance and faith (such as when he’s hunting monsters with means of finding it). But after that? they weren’t exactly easily put to rest.  The sound of his sister laughing and greeting another is what pulled him from his thoughts. He was beginning to smile because it wasn’t unusual for his female counterpart to do that, but when he saw who it was she was speaking with, it made him get on edge.

 

Mabel was speaking with Pacifica Northwest, the rich snob who tried so hard and in vain to discredit and harm them in their younger years.  They were chatting as if nothing had passed and as if they’d been life-long friends instead of frenemies.  His stomach flipped with uneasiness and knot in disgust, something that was both familiar and foreign, something he never got used to.

 

He had half a mind to march himself over to them and interrupt their chat but was stopped when a hand was felt on his shoulder. His arms crossed, fidgeting to adjust to get it right.  Mabel pulled the rich snob into a hug before turning and skipping, almost flying, back to her family with a grin as wide as her face would allow and a… blush on her cheeks?

 

Dipper shook his head.  “Mabel, focus!” He wailed moving his hands animatedly.  Mabel just brushed him off with a soft ‘pft’ and looked away to hide her blush from him, her mouth screwing up in a half pout.

 

Dipper and Mabel wandered away from their Grunkle, leaving him to do as he pleased, before finding more flyers. In a swift motion, Dipper tore one off the wall and nodding his head.  “Show starts at 6pm.” He trailed and let go of the flyer, letting it fly away.

 

“C’mon, let’s just go find some seats inside.” Dipper grumbled and lead the way in, Stan on his tail and Mabel the last one to follow, though slowly behind.  Once inside, Dipper made his way to the front row, eager to get a closer look at the ‘magic’ Gideon apparently had in store for his audience and guests.

 

Mabel was giddy as she flounced before sitting in her seat. Despite how much she loathed the Gleeful douchebag, she couldn’t turn down a good magic show. Stan would probably coin them as his own to attract more tourists for more money. Dipper sunk into his seat, back pressed firmly to it, cautious of what might happen as he crossed his arms again.

 

“Be alert guys… Guys?” He leaned forward a bit to give them each a glance or two before letting out another sigh and sitting back again.

 

They sat for a good 40 minutes or so, time slowly crawling by as the tent filled with more and more guests and excited residents of Gravity Falls.  Dipper looked back and saw the flaps of the tent closing, weary look on his face as he sat back down receiving a playful shove from his sister.

 

“Keep being so jumpy and you’ll be spooked by any trick!” She teased, her mouth being covered with her hand.  Dipper was ready to shout at her before the speaker system came to life, Gideon’s obnoxious voice coming through loud and clear. Dipper pulled back, being sulky and jittery.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Gideon spoke, his arm raising for effect.  “I’m glad to see so many familiar faces here today for my returning show!”  He moved across the stage, eyes moving through the audience, landing on the twins before moving on.

 

Dipper and Mabel couldn’t hide their synchronized sneer, awaiting the show to begin, or rather move along, watching Gideon perform a few generic, ameteur tricks, which the crowd of course gobbled up as hoots and hollers, cheers and clapping alike all but shook the tent.  The lights soon dimmed more as Gideon’s final trick came to a close and there was a single spotlight now on the stage illuminating a hastily, and very kid-like, drawn star on the curtains. Smoke furled up from under the stage and soon colored lights flashed to life. Another flash and the stage now held two figures, both clad in magician and magician’s assistant attire, just like the one s that appeared in Dipper’s night terrors.

 

His mouth hung open, slow to the realization, eyes widening as he stared with the smoke easing up just enough to see distinct features. Besides him, Mabel let out a gasp.

 

Up on stage were, well for a lack of better words, twins of them. Identical. Almost like staring at a mirror, if the mirror was broken and leaked with an essence of evil that is.  Dipper was soon frozen as the twins moved forward, moving away from each other to make a round of the stage before meeting again at the front of it.  The second Dipper stopped before the twins, however, hands clasped together.

 

“Hello one and all!”  He turned in a quick motion, eyes gleaming.  “Welcome the Telepathy Twins!”  He announced turning again.  “For our first trick, we’ll need some volunteers.”  His bright eyes scanning the crowd before locking onto the Pines Twins, a finger extended to point them out.  “You two, please come up on stage, if you will!”  A spotlight followed and landed on them both, Dipper slouching far down in his seat whereas Mabel was all too happy to be apart of a magic show.

 

Begrudgingly, Dipper stood from his seat with his sister, following her on stage, dreading what was to come next.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thing's are heating up, now.


	4. Things Are Not As They Seem

Dipper was less than pleased after the show, arms crossing in-front of his chest, seeming to exert a different air, allowing the others to lead him out the tent and back to the car. When he got in the backseat of the car, Mabel following after, Mabel was speaking a thousand words a minute, her arms waving about before turning to him.

 

“That trick was so COOL!”  She basically shouted the last word which in turn made Dipper wince.

 

Shrugging, he rubbed his head and then his face before reaching into his vest, for a pencil or something to write with perhaps, but instead pulled his hand back out with nothing, a gasp sounded as he pulled the Journal out. Mabel arched a brow and looked at him, head cocking to the side.

 

“Why’re you actin’ so surprised? You bring that book EVERYWHERE!”  She teased, laughing and giggling, swinging her legs.  Dipper gave a cough looking away, resting the book on his lap.

 

“I-I thought I left it at home.”  He lied.

 

Mabel gave a snort of a response, waving her hands dismissively as she kept talking and rambling. Dipper glanced over at Stan, who seemed reading to blow his top and yell, before looking back down at the book and slipping it back into the vest.

 

He remained silent on the ride ‘home’, glancing about every once in a while before they came to a short stop, Dipper jerking forward hitting his head on the back seat in-front of him.

 

“Eyes open, small fry!”  Stan mocked, shutting off the engine and pulling the key out of the ignition.  “We’re home.”  he stated more to himself than anyone, climbing out of the car.  Mabel opened the door, unbuckling herself in a hurry, ending up in her flopping down onto the ground but quick to get back on her feet as she scampered inside.  Dipper stayed back, letting out a low, frustrated sigh, looking down at his hands and seeing a burst of blue magic appearing.  It soon disappeared as he jerked up after hearing Stan call for him.

 

“Coming!”  He barked back, eyes narrowing into a pointed glare, unbuckling himself.  He grunted to himself, a scowl on his face before walking inside and his face morphing into one Dipper would normally wear: one of panic.  When he walked inside, he was met with giggling coming from his sister in the room over, his shoulders hunched up to his ears and he sighed before walking in.

 

“It was so much fun and so amazing! Even if it was from Gideon.”  She had to admit, it was a good show despite Gideon running it.  Dipper just rolled his eyes at it.

 

“Alright brobro, what was your favorite part then?”  She asked him noticing his eye roll.  She was replied with a shrug and a noise of indifference.  She made an appalled whine, staring at him.

 

“Not even a little bit?”  She crossed her arms, staring at him skeptically.  “Not even the part where we were called on stage? Holy moley! I was worried when that happened, Gideon had something up his sleeve!”  Dipper just stared, giving another shrug, turning and trudging up the stairs, wandering more than anything, opening a door and peering inside.

 

He saw it was a shared bedroom, making a disgruntled noise and stepping in, looking around.  “Rotten… eugh.”  He made his way to what looked to be his side of the room and sat down in the desk chair, taking the Journal from his vest and setting it on the desk, tracing the cover of it.  Humming to himself, he glanced around and opened it to read from the first page.

 

“We’ve got all this back home..”  He chuckled darkly to himself, as he flipped through and read, or rather skimmed, the book, appearing so engrossed in his reading that he wasn’t aware of an added presence in the room.

 

He eventually closed it, re-tracing the hand, following the curves on the three.  “So close…”  He dotted absentmindedly.

 

“Huh?”  Mabel walked over and leaned on him, a hand pressing firmly on the book.  “What’cha say?”  Dipper jolted, forcefully yanking the book out from under her and clutching it close to his chest, a wide-eyed expression on his face.  Mabel blinked staring at her brother.

 

“What the hellll”  She drawled out the word  “Dipper!”  Dipper glanced around, standing, slipping the journal back in his vest, crossing his arms.

 

“Do you need something sister dea--”  He stops, catching himself, breathing out through his nose.  “Mabel.”

 

Mabel stared at him still, concern lacing her gaze as she moved to press a hand to his forehead.  “Wha-What the--!”  He objects, staring back at her.

 

“Are you sick, Dipper? You seem crazier than normal.”  She had a look of genuine concern on her face, Dipper shrugged her off, turning and heading out the room, ignoring Mabel’s calling for him.

 

It was around 2am when Dipper came back, not unusual for him to be out so late, but back home Mabel was worried beyond belief and Stan was trying his hardest to help ease her pain, keep her calm that is save for the occasional outburst.  When he walked in, he acted as if he lost any form of resist or respect as he slammed the door shut behind him, stretching and giving a sidelong glance into the living room before dragging himself back upstairs and into the shared room.

 

Mabel watched, feeling as though her heart broke, hugging her Grunkle tight, wailing into his ears. He comforted her as best he could, weak pats on her back as she basically choked the life out of him.

 

“Mabel, sweetie”  Grunkle started with a wheeze.  “Grunkle needs to breathe.”  Upon hearing his plea, Mabel slowly eased up on him, pulling a hand back to rub at her eyes, that were flooding over with tears still. She looked to him, a pleading, questioning look, asking what was wrong with her twin brother, the one she grew up with.

 

He could feel his heart being tugged at before steeling himself, pulling Mabel away, picking her up and setting her down.  “I don’t know, but I’ll find out, alright? Just wait here… You agh.. Got one of those phone thingies? Use it!”  He gave a weak chuckle before a wave of awkwardness came over him as he headed up the stairs.

 

“Kid?”  Stan peered in before walking in and closing the door behind him.  “Kid, listen. You really upset your sister, thinks you hate her or something!”

 

Dipper responded with an unintelligible grunt, nose buried in the Journal before he glanced up.  “And?”  a brow rose as he closed the Book and hid it away.  “Is there a point to this, you old man?”

 

Stan snapped, growling and moving forward at the teen, a finger jabbing him in the chest.  “Listen here, you little brat, I don’t exactly know what’s gotten into ya, but you’re going to apologize to your sister and then I’m grounding you for a week!”  He was apparently on edge and Dipper appeared to not care.

 

“That all?”  Dipper asked nonchalant, as if it wasn’t that big of a deal.  He somehow managed to crawl under his Grunkle’s skin and stand up to him all in one day.  Stan hollered at him, Mabel could hear the yelling downstairs and it was then she knew something was wrong. Hopping up off her seat, wiping her eyes, she made her way upstairs.

 

By the time Mabel made her way up there, Stan was at Dipper’s throat, yelling at him. Dipper, however, seemed unphased, and what looked to be holding back a grin.

 

“Enough!”  Mabel shouted forcing the direction onto her now. She thought back to the show, brow knitting together as she sighed, walking over and patting her Grunkle’s arm. The man lowered the teen and Mabel moved forward, pulling her brother into a tight hug, nails digging into his back and squeezing the air out of him.

 

Dipper made a wheezy gasp, his eyes widening in shock before reluctantly hugging her back, glancing down at the ground awkwardly before looking up and seeing Stan glaring at him. He rolled his eyes and looked back at the ground.  “I’m sorry… Mabel.”  He dotted.  Mabel patted his back and murmured out a reply of “it’s okay.”

 

Dipper was the one who pulled back first, climbing into bed, tugging his blankets up and over him without any other inkling or exchanging of words, back facing his family and his brows knitting.   _What did you just do? You’re a cold, heartless bastard. Why would you even do that?_  He frowned, closing his eyes and shifting every so often.

  
He did eventually fall asleep, eyes opening to find himself in a dark cave, nothing but stone surrounding him. He knew this dream, he knew how it ended. He began to walk forward, slow and steady.  One step, two step, crunch. He followed this doomed rhythm but something was different… A long ways off in the distance he could make out what appeared to be the Dream Demon who was so generous and so kind enough as to give him these nightmares.  He had to wonder what the purpose or benefit of these dreams held, other than for personal torment and torture. 

_He was doomed from the start._


	5. Always Watching

Dipper shot up, heart pounding rapidly in his chest, eyes wide, looking around him before sighing and calming himself, a hand running through his hair.  He glanced over at his sister before throwing the blankets off and climbing out of bed as quietly as he could. He grabbed the Journal and headed out.  If he couldn’t get a good nights sleep, he would do something about it - which may or may not have anything to do with the Journal such as deciphering spells and runes that lie dormant in the tome.

 

Speak of the Devil, he thought to himself, flipping to a page as he ascended another flight of stairs heading to the true attic and not their bedroom. He sat on a ledge by the window, staring at the page with information on the infamous Dream Demon himself, Bill Cipher.

 

He skimmed through countless pages, eyes rolling at a few of the more ridiculous things written about him, stopping and noting others before hitting blank pages. His eyes widened in worry, going through them again but quickly this time.  “What in the world…”  He drawled out, not bothering the hide his accent in the thick of night.

 

He was too engrossed in his reading that he failed to see the sun rising, shining through the stained glass window and casting long shadows.  He yawned, lifting his sore neck to look around the room before he sighed and closed the book, setting it down on the ledge besides him.

 

“Suppose I’ll just have to play along with this ruse.”  He mused to himself, lifting a hand to pull at the collar of his shirt. Spinning around, he saw the world around him melt away to bleak grey, colorlessness. He stopped then, scanning all around him.  “Come on out Cipher, I know you’re here.”

 

Manic laughter sounded and the triangular being appeared before him, his hat being tipped.  “I see!”  He pointed to his singular eye with his hand, cane appearing in the other.  “That you’ve gotten really into your end of the deal, and I’m never one to make an unjust deal!”  Dipper sneered, glancing about before crossing his arms across his chest.

 

“Get to the point, Cipher.”  Bill rolled his eye, hands at his sides, making a sound akin to a sigh.

 

“You’re no fun, Big Dipper!”  He teased as he floated around him, looking him up and down, hand placed thoughtfully on his ‘face’.

 

Dipper groaned agitatedly, moving a hand in a circular motion.

 

“I was simply offering to sweeten your end of the deal!”  Bill announced.  Dipper looked down at him, eyes narrowing into slits, a lazy grin appearing on his face.

 

“Do not trust.”  He mocked, which only annoyed the Demon.  Bill flashed a shade of crimson for a split second before he calmed, eye narrowing.

 

“I could plague you with nightmares, kid.”  Dipper lost some attitude, sighing and focusing on the Demon.

 

“What do you want from me, Bill.”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------

Perhaps this was a mistake, Dipper thought to himself. All of these things could’ve been avoided with a simple “no” then again, the Demon who desired these such things never took no as an answer.  So here he was, dragging a corpse with him through the woods in the middle of the day, grunting as he heaved the body over stumps, roots, and anything else in his way before depositing it with heavy pants, gripping his knees for support.

 

The sound of hands clapping from behind him made him jolt to attention before frowning at the Demon, still trying to catch his breath. as much as Dipper would love to claim the role of the brawn for the twins, this wasn’t the case. He wasn’t used to actually running or lifting or dragging. He frowned up at the Demon, slowly standing tall.

 

“Now what, Hellspawn?”  This elicited a laugh from the Triangle Demon.  Bill hummed, floating over and around the corpse, like a fly to a carcass. Dipper pushed his thoughts away and crossed his arms.  Bill chuckled at Dipper’s thoughts, piping up with laughs.

 

“Your thoughts are certainly more interesting than Pine Trees, though!”  Dipper ignored the creeping heat on his cheeks, turning his head to not face him anymore, sighing.

 

“My reward? I recall I was promised something for the wretched task of yours.”

 

Bill clapped his hands together, cackling still and moving to the young man.  “Well kid, whaddaya want? I’m no miracle worker-- Oh wait, I am!!”  He laughed again, ‘falling’ backwards from the force of such laughter.  Dipper had a resting bitch face on, waiting for him to stop, his arms crossed over his chest.  Bill’s laughter died down, wiping a tear from his eye and holding his ‘stomach’ as he calmed.  “Ahah… Well kid, that reward is entirely up to you.”

 

Dipper tapped his finger to his chin in thought, focusing on the Demon, the glancing at his hands.  “Aren’t my demands always easy to read, Cipher?”  He looked up, raising a brow.  Bill made an odd noise, hands on his sides as his fingers snapped. Bill's voice dropped an octave, eye narrowing.

 

“You want me to--”  Dipper stopped him, his face becoming hot.

 

“That was ONE time, Cipher!”  He snapped, coughing and looking away, half pouting.  “I want to have stronger magic. Is that so hard?”  Bill laughed again, his frame shaking with the chuckles and giggles, as did the world, it seemed.

 

“Jeez kid, get any stronger and you’ll be more powerful than that ‘God’ you humans worship!”

 

Dipper raised a brow, grin forming on his face.  “You act if there’s something wrong with that, Cipher.”

 

Bill erupted with laughter, wrapping his arm around the man, eye closing.  “Point taken, Big Dipper! It’s as good as done!”  He snapped his fingers with his free hand and in less than a second, he was back in the attic.  Dipper felt a surge of energy course through him, he then looked down at his hands.  He smirked at his hands, sparks of magic firing up easily.

 

“Thank you.”  He muttered, hands soon balling into fists as he moved to go downstairs.

 

“Oh, don’t thank me just yet.”  Bill smirked without a mouth to smirk with, his eye narrowing in a chortle as he disappeared in a flash of light, washing the world in color again.

 

Dipper huffed as he walked into the shared bedroom, glancing around and blinking when he realized the lack of an annoying ‘twin’.  He shrugged and walked downstairs then, quietly and listening to see if anyone else was in the building.  He blinked in confusion at the lack of sound, peering around cautiously walking to the front door, yawning and opening it as he looked around, expecting something to jump at him as he wandered before focusing on the woods.

 

“Well…”  He started, glancing around again.  If I have some free time, he thought.  He began walking as a hand grabbed his shoulder and Stan’s stern voice caused him to stop.

 

“Kid, you must be stupid or something because you clearly forgot that you’re grounded!”  Stan hissed out, turning Dipper around and back inside the house.  Dipper made an appalled noise, his arms crossing and his eyes rolling as he walked up the stairs going back to his room.

 

He plopped down on his bed, legs crossed, resting his hands on his knees, looking at the window as the door opens.  His attention snaps back, looking at the door and seeing his sister walking in, smiling his way.  
  
“Brobro, you okay? You didn’t wake me with your screams last night. Did you even sleep? You look like Hell…”  She noted the bags under his eyes, rubbing her neck.  Dipper stared at her, laughing and crossing his arms across his chest.

 

“Why does that matter, I stay up reading most nights… don’t I?” He asked himself aloud before shaking his head.  Mabel’s face morphed into confusion then, her brow knitting together.

 

“You said that like a question. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”  It was her turn to cross her arms now and look him up and down to make sure he was alright and not just sleep deprived.

 

“Of course I’m fine. I’ve… Never been better.” He spoke slow, nodding slowly as well before looking to her and nodding again.  Mabel wasn’t buying it as she frowned, stepping towards him and her eyes narrowing, examining him as her main concern and priority is her brother’s health.  Dipper’s eyes flashed, narrowing back at her, lip curing in a sneer.

 

Mabel’s eyes widened, pulling back and stomping her foot.  “There is absolutely no way that you’re my brother.”  she frowned and scanned him before turning on her heel and leaving the room in a hurry.  Dipper’s eyes widened and he stood in a flash, a panic really, and in that same moment, he shot his hand out to grab her but instead of grabbing, a burst of magic fired from his fingertips eventually hitting her.

 

She let out a whimper and wail as Dipper winced at the sound, stepping back as she fell to the ground in front of his feet.  He stopped and stared at her, his breathing picking up pace and he let a scream past his lips.  Stan was soon in the room, quick as lightning. He looked at Dipper, stern look on his face gave the impression that they would talk later, but at the moment, there were more pressing matters at hand.  He moved and scooped Mabel up into his arms, hurrying down the stairs and out to his car, Dipper staring in horror, head shaking side to side before looking at his hands.

 

“You’re a cruel bastard, Cipher…”  He balled and gripped his hands into tight fists and hurried after Stan.

 

Dipper Gleeful wasn’t concerned about the girl who was essentially his siter. No, he was more worried about hurting her or what he really did. He didn’t feel guilty, though he sighed heavily, gripping at his shirt with his hands, his eyes stinging as the floodgates opened. He reached up and wiped away his tears before they could even form so he wouldn’t look like a child.  Stan grunted as they pulled into a parking spot, cutting another off, rushing to get out of the car to get Mabel inside. Dipper followed after, slowly however, in disbelief, holding his head and tugging at his hair harshly.  I do not care about her.  He mentally seethed, looking around.

 

He pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind, shoving away the harsh images his mind conjured of his own sister being harmed, mangled, all caused by him…  His shoulders shook as he shuddered at the thoughts and images hoping to forget about them, sitting next to Stanford in the waiting room, Mabel being rushed to the Emergency Room or something similar Dipper didn’t exactly know.  Hospitals weren’t exactly his favorite places to be. He doubted anyone who said it was, or enjoyed being near or in a hospital but something about being close to death made him sick to his stomach.

 

He glanced over at Stan, looking away shortly after with a sigh.  He stood up, Stan halting him with a hand to his wrist.  “What happened back there, kid.”  He asked, voice stern, trying to hold back any form of emotion from entering his words or his voice.

 

Dipper attempted to reclaim his arm weakly, giving the old man a frown before looking away feeling as emotions soon began to bubble up inside him. He opened his mouth to finally speak, his words coming out in soft whines and hics, sitting back down again.  “I don’t know.”  He replied, a sour taste in his mouth now. It was only half of a little white lie. He knew exactly what had happened and what he did, but he didn’t know why. He always had control over himself, even when his emotions got the better of him.

 

Stan made a grunting noise and leaned back in his seat, an array of emotions flashing in his eyes.  “Go outside kid, you’re too antsy right now. You’ll give someone else a heart attack with your screaming.”  He said, it almost would’ve been funny, if it weren’t for the grim tone in his voice.  Dipper took his advice, standing, words stinging, leaving pangs in his heart - which was odd - and he turned, sauntering out of the hospital.

  
Once he made his way outside, he was free of prying eyes of others for him to do as he so pleased, the guilt building heavy in his chest was holding him down.  He grumbled and slapped himself hard over his heart, grunting from the pain it caused him as he waltzed down the street, looking from storefront to storefront, a scowl on his face as he tried to think of a way to make contact with a certain little twerp.


	6. Playing With The Big Kids Now

Chapter 6: Playing With The Big Kids Now

 

To say Dipper was concerned would be an understatement. He looking frantically around in the dark holding spot, his hands bound behind him.  His eyes adjusted as much as possible to the darkness that was his captor, ragged breathing, eyes darting about. He could make out the faint silhouettes of exposed piping, a washer-dryer, and old cardboard boxes.  He tugged at his bindings before falling back into a slumped over position. He was resourceful, however, he could figure out how to get out this mess somehow or other. He went back to searching the area but was soon interrupted by a flash of harsh, bright light shining down on him, his eyes screwed shut in defense.

 

“Mornin’ Sunshine!”  ‘Mabel’ chirped, practically skipping down the steps in her heels. How she didn’t trip was a mystery in itself. _Quite possibly Black Magic,_ Dipper mused to himself. He’d have to look into that later, but for the time being, he could only give a grunt in response but it instead ended up sounding more like a whine.  The girl chortled after hearing this.

 

She waltzed herself over, full of valor, bending down and grasping the young man’s chin in a harsh manner.  “It’s completely bizarre… You look almost the same-- Well, exactly the same, except your hair is in utter disarray and is vehemently disgusting.”  She let go of him, standing tall and crossing her arms over her chest.  Dipper gave a sneer, seething with annoyance.

 

She either didn’t care or-- who was she kidding, she didn’t, she honestly didn’t and it showed when she went on, looking and inspecting him. Sizing him up as if he were a frog ready to be dissected.  “Interesting thought..”  She piqued, Dipper just rolled his eyes. When a hand grazed at his forehead, pulling his bangs away, he snapped back into attention.

 

“Hey!”  He protested abjectly but was promptly ignored.

 

Mabel continued nitpicking and toying with his hair and clothes before pulling back, sated with her assessment, hands now comfortably on her hips.  Dipper rolled his eyes once again, switching gears to other things in vain. His thoughts brought him to his sister, his grunkle. Surely they’ve noticed by now? He’s been gone at least a day…  As he thought, his brain process went to the thought of food and the lack of food he’s consumed followed up by the gurgling of his insides.

 

Mabel shot a glance his way, laughing then, her neck craning as she cackled, her hands clapping together before focusing back on him.  “Think that’s enough for a bit a pity, a bit of sympathy?”  She toyed before turning on her heel and trudging back upstairs and closing the door, throwing Dipper back into a bottomless pit of nothing but darkness.

 

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Gideon was a little more than upset to realize he had to house the man who threw him in jail, despite the circumstances being his captivity.  His arms flailed, gesturing animatedly to the basement door, his foot stomping.

 

“Can’t we just kill him!”  He hollered,  “Release him to the woods?!”  He howled.  Mabel rolled her eyes, leaning to the side.

 

“Evidently, you’re not well versed on ‘espionage’.”

Gideon burst out in a yell and a huff then, arms crossing, his face turning red.  “Listen here and listen good! You are supposed to do as I say without question!”  He proclaimed, pride now in his eyes.  Mabel snickered and sneered, moving past him into the living room.

 

“You say that as if to categorize my brother and I as dolls, or should I say… Puppets, for you to control?”  She mused, a laugh bubbling up in her throat then, plopping into a seat, checking her nails.

 

He was riled up again, storming over, pointing an accusatory finger and beginning to shout.

 

She sighed to herself and stood as much she needed before pressing her lips to his, his face turning a different kind of red, eyes widening with the heat applied to his lips.  He was silent from the kiss before he pulled back, covering his mouth his hands, stammering in shock.

 

It was a chaste kiss, and not a very good one at that. Oddly enough, it left Mabel with a light, fluttery feeling in her gut and a tingle on her lips.

 

Gideon had already walked off quietly, leaving Mabel to her own thoughts. She lifted a hand to her lips, a finger ghosting against them. A smile soon broke on her face, pink dusting her cheeks in a blush.

 

“Ooh…”  She cooed, her hand soon falling down to clasp them together.  “Sweet as honey, slow as molasses…”  She drawled, gaze becoming dreamy.  “I’ll need some more of that.”  The last bit was said in a whisper as she stood.  She had to busy herself with other more important topics.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------

 

Dipper was shifting again, he was antsy and hungry, the low growl of his stomach showed a constant reminder.  He was desperate at this point. How he wished he would’ve taken Stan’s advice on how to manually pop his shoulders, on how to escape from handcuffs, anything.  Then again, he was always knees deep in mystery that he could never find time for the practical things. As ‘practical’ as breaking out of handcuffs might be.

 

He shifted again, more awkwardly this time, trying to get himself into a standing position, looking around and trying to examine the area around him as much as he could, hoping for a miracle. A miracle like a piece of sharp metal or some sort to help get him out of his restraints. There was none, however, and he frowned, plopping himself back down into a sitting position.

 

He wasn’t one to give in, nor give up so easily but the thought of being trapped in his “arch-enemy’s” basement didn’t seem like a very hopeful situation.

 

He heard faint laughter and deadpanned, a headache coming on in the back of his head, looking around in a panic as the all too familiar Demon came into view.  A lone eye curved into a grin, a finger pointing to Dipper.

 

“You seem to be in a bit of a pickle, Pine Tree!”  He laughed, slowly drifting down and landing on the ground, his fingers snapping and a cane appearing in his hand, leaning on it.  “Seems like you’re desperate.”  He stated rather flat, clearly out of his character.

 

He brushed a hand over himself and dipper stared, feeling uncomfortable with this attitude.  He never truly got used to Bill’s normal one, but he expected it. This? This was just…

 

“Listen, Pine Tree,”  Bill interrupted his thoughts, oh how he hated that. “I’m a busy Demon and a few deals are on the line now. I’m wasting my valuable time, spending it here with you.”  Dipper felt the slightest heat in his cheeks as Bill continued.  “I hate seeing you all mopey, unless I’m the one who caused it, of course!  Same goes for…”  He lifted his hands, counting on his fingers to list things off.  “Pain, discomfort, panic… Anything, really, that makes you squirm!”  Bill announced joyously.

 

Dipper scowled and just rolled his eyes. He truly regretted ever meeting the Demon, although there was always something about the danger Bill proposed that thrilled Dipper right to his core, not like he’d ever admit to it, though.  Bill probably knew of this anyway, he probably found it amusing.

 

Bill snapped his fingers, hands now on his sides.  “Here kid, I’ll give you a bargain!”  Dipper made an audible groan at the term and the implications it held.  Bill only rolled his eye.  “I’ll give you ‘food’, since you seem to need it, in exchange for something I want!”  Dipper stared at him, blinking, and then rolling his eyes again.

 

“I’m not that easy to trick, Bill.”  Dipper scowled.  “What do you want from me exactly?”  There was an inkling of fear laced in his voice, the same terror that was always present all over him, in his eyes, even in the muscles in his neck and arms tensed.  Bill ‘grinned’.

 

“Sure, sure! Never one to leave things to chance!”  Bill mocked, raising a hand in-front of himself and coughing.  “You just need to behave!”

 

“Behave..?”  Dipper repeated hesitantly.

 

Bill nodded his whole body, eye closing with a soft hum.  “Mh-m!”  his eye opened, gleaming at the youth.  “What do you say, _Pine Tree?_ ”  He held out his hand, now engulfed in a rich, cobalt blue hue of flames. Dipper grunted, tugging on his bindings, Bill soon found himself busting a gut in a violent fit of laughter.

 

Dipper grumbled and with a snap of Bill’s fingers, his wrists were free of their restraints.  He pulled them up to eye level and rubbed them gently, tenderly as he examined them.  Bill was fascinated with the display before him. Dipper shook his head and extended his hand.  Bill shook himself of his own thoughts, his hand erupting in rich blue flames once again, before grasping the other in a contract.

 

“Deal…”  Dipper muttered as an after thought, pulling his hand away to his side after a moment.

 

“Deal!”  Bill repeated cheerily after him, waving his fingers and floating back up into the air.  He bowed slight, tipping his hat.  “Pleasure doing business with you, Pine Tree! And remember, reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold! Byee!”  He exclaimed his departing speech, disappearing back into the nothingness.

 

Dipper sat there, sighing low, looking at his hands again.  A faint smile appearing.  At least there was one bright side to the deal.

 

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No one really seemed to care when a girl who was perfectly healthy came into the hospital at the brink of death. Well, no one cared until Pacifica Northwest - “the only person who means something in this town” - dropped by to give the girl visits now and again.  News of this spread like wildfire and news reporters hopped on the change, asking her dozens upon dozens of questions in hope of getting some form of reply out of her.  The news reporters’ harping on her hindered the time she could visit Mabel to a pathetic amount of time, which lead to her being sneakier, going incognito, just to see her in peace. Mabel was out cold for 4 days but was stable now, which was good, yet there were no signs of further recovery.

 

Pacifica gripped Mabel’s hand tightly, feeling tears stinging behind her eyes, blinking to keep them from surfacing.  She was a big girl, she didn’t cry.  She looked down, her attention focusing on Mabel again, the only girl who dared to care about her for being… well… her.  Not for being rich or for her family or anything material as that, just her.  Pacifica couldn’t fight back the tears now. To conceal them further, she pressed her face into Mabel’s neck, slouching over and sobbing as quietly as she could manage.

 

She didn’t hear the door open behind her, her sobs drowning it out. she didn’t hear the door, but she heard her father’s stern voice. She pulled back, wiping at her tears, looking away from Mabel and nowhere near her father, she didn’t want to be seen like this, not even by her own kin.

 

She was met with pleasantries such as: “What are you doing? A Northwest doesn’t cry!”, “Why would you care about her?”  Pacifica remained silent, however, as she marched herself out of Mabel’s recovery room, and the hospital.  This little exchange, however, never did hinder her visits, rather it encouraged her to be more secretive about the whole ordeal, dropping all manners of get well gifts from cards - handwritten with her pristine calligraphy, to chocolates, balloons, as well as extravagant bouquets.

 

It had been 3 weeks, Mabel still with no sign of recovery but Pacifica was still holding onto hope. It was odd for her, she mused as she marched her way into the hospital and to Mabel’s room quietly, her latest gift clutched tightly to her chest.

 

As she waltzed in, she was greeted by Mabel’s family - mainly her con artist of an uncle and her horrid twin brother.  She stuck her nose up at them, making a beeline for Mabel and Mabel only, setting her gift gently on Mabel’s chest.  The item was wrapped with ribbons and covered in glitter to appease Mabel had she been awake. The item itself was of a sweater, poorly knit at best with one sleeve slightly longer than the other with crooked initials on it, “M.P.”  Pacifica tenderly patted Mabel’s cheek as she turned, exiting. Sorrowful about the wasted visiting time, but nothing would make being around her family worth it if Mabel wasn’t awake.

 

\------------------------------------------------

 

Mabel hummed, harshly jerking her ‘brother’s’ chin up, examining him again, leaning down and placing toxic kisses against his skin.  Dipper shuddered and squirmed, his skin writhed with disgust and dissolved as she pulled away.

 

He hated these moments the most, they’ve only happened once or twice since his being captive but every time she’d push him to the point of tears.  She leaned back in, biting at him this time, digging her nails into the tender flesh on his cheek, raking them down. He felt sick, light-headed. Mabel pulled away in an instant as he hurled, bile staining his already filthy clothes and burning his throat.

 

“Quite the reaction, Dipper!”  She chirped, kneeling down to examine the mess, Dipper scowled and looked away.

 

“Wanna hear a story, Dipper?”  She asked, head cocking to the side. Dipper’s expression fell to one of dismay, staring at her.  “Great!”  She hummed, leaning in, pulling him into another vile kiss, parting quickly.  “There’s a girl in the hospital!”  Dipper opened his mouth to try and interject but was cut off before he could get a word in.  “It’s your sister!” She cheered all too happily, watching in amusement as Dipper’s face morphed and twisted into one of pure suffering, staring at the ground.

 

She slapped his cheek lightly, laughing and eyes narrowing at him, drawing his attention back.  “Waaaait!”  She pleaded, grin spreading across her features.  “They don’t know if she’ll live or not!”  She concluded, staying near as to watch the rainbow of emotions in Dipper’s eyes play out.  His eyes soon fell downcast, heavy tears beginning to bubble before flooding out, a heart wrenching sound emitted from his lips, eyes screwing shut.

 

She laughed, leaning in and placing a kiss below his eye before slapping him harshly, getting on her feet and waltzing out of the basement.  Gideon was huffy but said nothing about it, hands on his hips as he quietly steamed.

 

Dipper sobbed to himself, body wracking, trembling, with the force of his sobs. Everything hurt, he thought. He was pathetic. He let this all happen. If he hadn't gone up for that **DAMNED** magic trick he’d be fine… Mabel would’ve been fine. But he wasn’t, she wasn’t. He wouldn’t be trapped in his own personal hell and Mabel wouldn’t be in the hospital

 

Suddenly, a warm hand came to caress his cheek. The gentleness of the action startled him, what with being slapped the new norm for him. It eventually won him over from his jitters, and he leaned into the comfort of the hands on his face, petting softly, gently. He grew silent save for an occasional hiccup from his sobs.

 

“Shh,” An all too familiar voice cooed out, “It’s alright, Pine Tree.”

 

Dipper had no energy to object so he accepted the comfort he was offered, no hesitation whatsoever.  Bill disliked this, he didn’t understand why seeing his Pine Tree being torn up like this made him feel...bad? He pushed it away, slowly pulling back and feeling the young man attempt to follow after, making a pitiful sound.  

  
If Bill had a heart, it would’ve shattered...


	7. Miracle Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few deals are made, and a few truths become flushed out.

Dipper was gloomy since the incident, quiet and thoughtful, jumper than before but “normal” for the most part.  He wandered about the shack, doing trivial chores here and there, guilt still plaguing him.  He was tugged from his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder, sighing low and glancing back, shrugging Wendy’s hand away to move upstairs.

 

He went to the attic, sitting in-front of the triangular window, his eyes narrowing as he gripped a fist. He know Cipher was tugging at his heart strings, playing games with the things that mattered most to him and using the girl as a scapegoat.  His insides twisted and knotted, feeling as if he were going to vomit, curling up on the bench.

 

“I’ve made a miscalculation…” He drawled out, head lifting, tired eyes scanning and running a hand through his soft hair.  “Mighty big mistake.” He whined low, face pressing into his knees, arms wrapped around himself.

 

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Mabel hummed and leaned back on the couch, eyes watching Gideon.  “What’s the matter?”  She drawled out, inspecting her nails.

 

“Mabel,” He began with a low whine, glancing to the basement door. “Don’t you think it’s time we let him out of there?”

 

“What made you change your mind? Thought you wanted revenge on him.” She rebuttled, not looking from her nails.

 

Gideon made an appalled noise, looking down and around but not at her.  “And I did! I do!” He started, forcing himself to focus on her. “But not like this! It’s horrid and disgusting!” Gideon was interrupted in a flash, Mabel’s hand grasping and yanking his tie hard, pulling him into a rough kiss.

 

Gideon’s eyes snapped open, attempting to pull back only to have a hand grip at his hair. She knocked teeth together, eyes narrowing.  He grunted and with much difficulty, though against both their wishes, he pushed her away. and gave an angry look, brow knitting together in a scowl.

 

“This is not the time, Mabel, darnit!” He slammed his foot down and crossed his arms. “What’re we ta do bout Pines! We can’t just leave him in there, and we can’t do anything without your brother!” Gideon did have a point and it wiped the smug look off Mabel’s face quite quickly. Her gaze then darkened making him pale a little.

 

“We’ll let him out in due time. We’ve heard nothing from my dear brother in quite some time but I assume he’s taking care of things on his end. Besides, we could always pop in to see what’s doing at that run down shack Dipper,” She spat out his name, “Works and lives at, can we not?”  There was no flaw in that logic. Her arms crossed, waiting for a response from the younger man.

 

Gideon stammered before shaking his head.  “I suppose you do have a point, Mabel.”  She grinned again, examining him top to bottom before fixing her gaze on his face. She studied him then, noticing how he had such dark bags under his eyes. She also saw how he lost that arrogance he had when they first met.  Good. She thought, standing and dusting herself off.

 

“Then shall we go?” She adjusted her vest, then her headband. Gideon blinked a few times and shook his head in frustration.

 

“It isn’t that easy, girl!” The look she gave him made him wince in fear. “Stanford Pines hates me! He’s never let me near nor in his shack!”

 

Mabel just rolled her eyes, turning to face the twerp.  “I look just like the girl who was sent to the hospital, I’m pretty sure I can lie my way through this.” She stated proudly, smug look on her face as she smirked and looked at the younger man.

 

Gideon frowned. But this attempt was better than nothing. He turning, looking to the basement.  “Shouldn’t one of us ah… Stay behind?” He looked to her, trying to weasel his way out of going.  She rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

 

“Fine, you big baby. I’ll be on my way, then.”

 

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Stan had been easy on the kid, being nice too, and understood Dipper was going through a wild range of emotions but he was alsos getting sick of the slacker. He made his way upstairs, checking their room and seeing hair nor hide of the teen.  He sighed.  “Where is he…”

 

He wandered around before heading up into the attic, finding Dipper with his arms wrapped around himself, face in his knees.  God he looked pathetic, Stan held his tongue however and walked over to him, a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Kid!” He shook him, “I get you’re sad and everything, kid, but you need to stop moping around.”

 

Dipper lifted his head, eyes red and puffy from crying.  He looked away. “Be quiet, Old man.” Dipper made no effort to hide his accent, letting it slip out like thick molasses.

 

Stan grumbled, staring at him before sighing. “Fine. One more day off, after that no more of this whiny business.” He turned and headed back down to the store in time to hear knocking at his door. He groaned in annoyance marching over and opening the door.

 

“Yeah whaddya---” He stopped short seeing as to who it was that was on his doorstep. He went pale, like he’s seen a ghost and his mouth went dry, unable to form a sentence.

 

Mabel gave him a wide, flashy, toothy grin and waltzed herself inside as if she owned the shack. He could only stare like it was a dream.  His voice cracked, unnatural on his part but he continued with a mix of unreadable emotions and expressions on his face.

 

“Mabel?” he asked cautiously.  She glanced over and Stan frowned, his arms crossing. The whole ordeal seemed off but he put it in the back of his mind. “Your brother’s upstairs, crying. You should go up there and talk to him or something, or whatever it is you two normally do to make up.”

 

Mabel made a disgusted sound but nodded and headed upstairs to where she sensed her brother to be.  Holy hell, she mused to herself. He really was distraught, he hadn’t noticed her presence yet.  She trudged up the stairs, following her brothers signals. When she got to the door and opened it, looking inside, she saw him in his state and rolled her eyes.

 

“Brother dearest.” She drawled out, walking in fully. His head snapped to attention, frowning at his sister and seeming at a loss for words.

 

He whispered her name before sighing and wiping his tears away, standing up.  “I look a mess, don’t I.” He questioned aloud, his attention on her. “Sadly enough, Cipher managed to pull a trick on me, mind games and all that.” He half-lied, looking away, arms crossing.

 

Mabel shrugged, leaning against the wall, not seeming to care about that. “How much information were you able to obtain so far?”  Right, he had a job. He rubbed his neck and looked away.

 

“Ah, right…” He began, looking away still. Eye contact wasn’t something he needed at the moment. He didn’t want to see his sister’s disappointment in him over something so small and trivial.  She scoffed, hands now at her hips.

 

“Dipper.” Her voice was now stern, the twin could feel himself becoming unnerved. He looked up then, and she rolled her eyes.  “Are you kidding!” She snapped. He recoiled and looked away from her.

 

“It couldn’t be helped!” He tried to defend, not bothering to hide his real voice and accent, his true emotions. He was always composed, even in the face of danger, but something about this, about what was happening right now, made him soft. It made him weak in his own and his sister’s eyes.

 

There was a thick, heavy silence about the air before his sister broke it.  “Nothing at all?” She asked, her voice soft now, almost comforting, if Dipper didn’t know better.

 

“No, nothing.” He replied defeatedly.

 

Mabel made a distasteful noise, rolling her eyes and turning to leave before stopping herself. “I expect more of you, Brother.” She stated rather coldly, making her exit and leaving Dipper to his own thoughts and sorrow

 

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Dipper was sitting in the basement, arms bound behind him once again. He looked around, pleading, wishing to see a certain Demon. Instead of calling out for him to appear or anything, he let out a pathetic whine. Since when was he such a pushover?  The Demon however took this as his cue and appeared in a flash, the world absorbing and dissolving around him in an unnatural manner.  Dipper stared up at him then, noticing the lack of color by his feet (though that could also be because of low lighting). Bill however looked anywhere but Dipper. He couldn’t look his Pine Tree in the eye when he was in this state, he couldn’t joke or tease him either without fear of breaking the young man. He cleared his non-existing throat, focusing on him then.

 

“You called?”

 

Dipper shifted in his “seat”, looking down to the the ground.  “I-I…” He stuttered out, Bill felt bad for him, floating down and standing on the ground in-front of him.

 

“You?” He tried, hoping to encourage Dipper to continue his sentence. Even so, he shouldn’t pick up the job of motivational speaker.

 

Dipper stopped, his stuttering subsided as he composed himself. “I… Want to make a deal.”  Bill blinked but didn’t object nor protest against it.

 

“Another one?”  He was met with not a response of words, but a verbal nod. “Go on, kid.” He prompted him, wanting to hear his bargain.

 

“I… Heard from this Mabel, the one who basically locked me up here and tortures me on a daily basis, I heard from her that my sister is in the hospital and that she might not wake up.” He swallowed thickly, his mind sorting out how he wanted to give his deal, waiting for a form of response from Bill.  He continued on when he heard a harsh gasp and looked up to see his optic grow wider - if it were possible.

 

“So, I want to make a deal. I want you to help her wake up from whatever it is that is ailing her. Please.” He begged and pleaded. He never wanted to hear, nor see, his sister in agony or a comatized state and this happened to be one of them.

 

“For Shooting Star? Anything.” He took off Dipper’s bindings then extended his hand for him, blue flames engulfing it.  Dipper looked at his wrists first, rubbing them gingerly before grasping Bill’s hand with his own to seal the deal.

 

Bill seemed to smile, for once a gentle notion as light poured in and flooded the room from behind and Bill disappeared in a flash.  Dipper was soon left alone, eyes blinking rapidly to adjust to the new light, his arm lifting to shield his eyes.  Mabel was now furious, steaming with anger, her blue eyes gleamed with a number of things.

 

She stormed in, slamming the door behind her, now refilling the room in complete and total darkness. She stormed down the stairs to him, grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking him up in a harsh motion.  Dipper winced in pain and stared at her. It was a horrifying sight… As if he were staring into the maw of a starving wolf, one who had just found their prey, ready to gobble them up for a meal.  She gave another harsh tug, pulling him from his thoughts. Her arm reared back, ready to swing.

 

“What did you do!”

 

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Pacifica was holding Mabel’s hand tightly, eyes watering and unable to stop her tears from overflowing, her grip tightening. She whimpered and sniffled, wiping her eyes of their tears.

 

“Mabel… Please wake up. I miss you, damnit.” She finally admitted to it. “When I heard you were back in town for the summer, I had a whole list of things to do planned out and when I went to the Shack, and I saw how morbid and distraught your uncle and brother were, I rushed here thinking it wasn’t true. But it was..” She gripped her hand again, biting back tears hoping they wouldn’t fall.  Her eyes were closed, her head turned as well so she didn’t see what was happening on the bed.

 

Mabel’s eyes slowly fluttered open, lazily looking around and groaning low before her gaze landed on Pacifica, having heard an indeterminate amount of her speech.  “You missed me, Paci…?” She croaked out, her voice dry from inuse.

 

Pacifica looked up from hearing her voice and turned incredulously to face Mabel, tears involuntarily streaking down her cheeks once again.  She nodded slowly and tried to compose herself as much as was possible in the hospital chair. This caused Mabel to smile warmly, though weak as it was from her just waking up.

 

“I had things planned for us to do and to catch up and then this happened and I visited you everyday because… Well, because…” She couldn’t finish her sentence even though she practiced it a lot. The words and meaning were there, right on the tip of her tongue but she just couldn’t finish it. Not even with Mabel looking so endearing at her, waiting for her to finish.

 

“Go on…” she edged her on (despite Bill, Mabel would probably make an even better motivational speaker). she scooted as close as she could.

 

Pacifica breathed in and then sighed out, composing herself and ready to finally say what she wanted to since the beginning of the summer. “Alright. I visited you everyday, bringing gifts by the armful, even making you a dorky sweater,” She gestured to the side table where the hand-knit sweater lay, “Because… Because I love you, Pines.”

 

Mabel smiled, heat creeping into her cheeks and burning her ears. Leaning up, she pulled the rich blond into a tender kiss, stopping her from spewing anything more that would more than likely make her seem dorkier than she appeared or let on. Pacifica stood there awkwardly for a moment or two before giving in and kissing the other back, her face turning red before pulling back and reaching up to hide her face.

 

Mabel gave a nasally laugh, lying back down, a hand coming up to rest on her head. “Everything hurts.. Where am I?” She asked looking around.  Pacifica blinked before she realized that when Mabel was brought in to the hospital, she wasn’t exactly “conscious”.  She smiled weak and rubbed at her eyes.

 

“The hospital…” She spoke soft. “You’ve been here for weeks now.”

 

Mabel stared at her, green eyes widening as the words hit her. She sat up quick. “I need to get Stan and Dipper here!” She spoke a thousand words a minute.  Pacifica placed her hand on Mabel’s chest and gently laid her back down, whispering motherly murmurs to help calm her down.  Mabel complied begrudgingly, staring up at the ceiling, now in a daze as a small wave of dizziness washed over her from her jolt up most likely.

 

“I need to let them know how I’m doing at least!” She protested, turning her head to look at Pacifica.  “Please, Paci?” She begged using her nickname, a small pout and puppy eyes pleading.  As much as she wanted to say no, she did have a point, even if she didn’t want to be in the same room as her annoying family.

 

“Fine.” She gave in finally after Mabel started to whimper mockingly like a pup. She couldn’t say no, not to that side of Mabel.  Mabel’s face morphed into a smile, leaning up to plant a kiss to the blonde’s cheek.

 

“Thank you, Paci!” She grinned wide and sat up, slower this time, so she was leaning against her pillows as back support and cushion.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

The phone rang in the Mystery Shack, Stan being around at the time being as Dipper was still up in the attic, picked the phone up and answered it like he would any normal call.

 

“Stan Pine’s Mystery Shack, Mystery man speaking.” He nodded, though the person on the other end couldn’t see him. When he was told of how Mabel had woken up, even with the odds against her, his eyes widened and he stood fast, almost enough to throw his back out of whack. all he needed to hear was that and he hung up - really he just slammed the phone down on the counter and put Wendy in charge. He raced himself upstairs and grabbed Dipper.

 

“C’mon, Kid. The hospital just called. Mabel’s awake.” Without a protest or anything, he dragged the teen downstairs and out to the car. Dipper was practically a ragdoll, thrown into the back seat and Stan was to ask of that when they arrived at the hospital but for now, Mabel and her miraculous recovery was his main concern at the moment. He threw the car into drive and high-tailed it out of the “parking lot” of the Shack and sped to the hospital with reckless abandon.

 

Once at their destination, they both hurried inside, really Stan just dragged Dipper like a ragdoll again, storming into Mabel’s room. Pacifica was still there and she was talking with Mabel, but when they heard the burst in, they both stopped and turned to their new guests. A smile was soon on Mabels face as she saw her Grunkle and her brother - who couldn’t look her in the eye and chose to stare at the ground instead - and seemed to be brimming with energy.

  
Stan was too overjoyed, an array of emotions flooding and going on inside of him at the news, completely forgetting as to who had been at his doorstep a day ago - a brunette who looked strikingly similar to the girl sitting in the bed before him. Dipper then lifted his gaze at the girl, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyy, look at this art: 
> 
> https://33.media.tumblr.com/cb6f2b4d68929ebbca3acac68e87a91c/tumblr_nfooqfBdiK1spzqb3o1_1280.png
> 
> more: 
> 
> https://33.media.tumblr.com/fdd90d69cc9536b30748d110eb4da819/tumblr_nfooqfBdiK1spzqb3o2_1280.png
> 
> it was drawn by me over at my blog:   
> blissful-rouzes.tumblr.com


	8. Re-Adjusting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> de·cep·tion  
> dəˈsepSH(ə)n/  
> noun  
> the action of deceiving someone.  
> "obtaining property by deception"  
> a thing that deceives.  
> "a range of elaborate deceptions"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters in one day? are we CRAZY. well this ones short so

Things were going fast, too fast for the male Gleeful’s tastes. He was being dragged along to wherever Mabel had even the slightest inkling of interest in. He followed, however being as he had little choice in the matter, as things were fast and chased, with no control over the woman.  How did the Pine version of him even manage?  He was dragged from his thoughts as he heard Mabel calling for him. He lifted his head up and huffed. He despised the whole “adventuring” thing, loathing the thought of doing actual work and labor for his research when it was otherwise available in his own journal at home.

 

“Coming Mabel!” He cried after her, seeing her run deeper into the forest.

 

He followed her as best he could, stumbling and getting scratched up from unseen branches jutting out at all angles before she came to a stop. He doubled over, heaving as his arms clutched his stomach, he felt like he would vomit, heave his guts out, but the sensation soon subsided.  He lifted his head and looked up at her only to see a be-miffed look on her face, hands at her hips and head cocked to the side.

 

“Jeez, brobro,” He sneered at the nickname. “Have you not done _ANY_ monster hunting while I was out cold?”  His eyes rolled, lungs still burning with sharp breaths.  She frowned and looked around, putting a finger to her chin in thoughtfulness.

 

“Check the journal! Or give it to me, where we’re going is a surprise anyway!” She turned to him, strutting over, Dipper taking a defensive step back.  He was grateful, however, for one thing: Mabel had no recollection of what happened to her, nor the conversation prior. He yelped when she tackled him down, fishing the book from the vest for him.

 

“Why must you be so difficult?” She whined before giggling like a mad-woman, getting back on her feet. Dipper stayed laying in the grass, however, a soft, frustrated sigh escaped past his lips. Would this deal be worth it all in the end?

 

He sat up sighing as he felt eyes boring into every fiber of his being.  He glanced around, stiffening at the thought but soon rolling his eyes when he was met with no one there, well no one staring at him that is.  He stood and dusted himself off just in time to hear Mabel chirp up with glee and surprise. He looked to her then, brow raised and head cocked.  She soon shoved the book in his face, chattering before pulling it to her own chest and grinning ear to ear. Dipper rubbed his now sore nose.

 

“What the hell, Mabel--”

 

“Shhh!” She hushed him, looking back at the pages of the book. “This way!” And with that, they sprinted off to god knows where and Dipper couldn’t help but have a small smile on his face, one that seemed almost genuine at that.  There was no way denying it that he was starting to warm up to Mabel, to this life, and something that was burning within his being pushed him to his limits. It made him feel alive.

 

He stumbled on a rock, plummeting and crashing to the ground, his teeth knocking together. Mabel heard the thud behind her and swiveled around, offering a hand to help him up. He stared in a dazed awe before she flailed her hand in-front of his face. He felt tears, honest tears, stinging at his eyes as he took the girls hand.  Had this been his sister, she would’ve most likely laughed and mocked him for his carelessness, telling him to get over it. He rubbed his jaw as he was hoisted up and they continued their trek at a slower pace.

 

He listened to her as she rambled on about her life, how she teased if he found her any boys to date, about how completely odd it was that she couldn’t remember what happened, only pain. He lifted his head and soon felt a headache coming on, but he still continued to listen to her. He smiled and laughed. He felt… Odd as it was, but he felt happy. It had to be this because the word left a weird taste in his mouth. They stopped and stared up at a spectacle a normal person would’ve never dreamed of seeing.

  
Before them was a scene of a crystalline city, no person nor anything in sight. Dipper let out an awe-struck gasp, his jaw going slack as he just stood there, fixated on the sight before him, taking in every detail he could.  Mabel smiled and coaxed him from his position, leading him on and to the city.  He could warm up to this kind of life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next few chaps will probably be short, unsure as of now though


	9. Fever Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More short chapters, but 3 fics updated in one evening is pretty impressive.

Dipper shot up with a start, heart pounding in his chest, finding himself in a cold sweat. He sneered, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

 

Laughter. The distinct sound of laughter pulled him from his grumbling. He rose, and followed it blindly, like a moth to a flame. He headed up another small flight of stairs before finding himself in the attic where he had shut himself away. He looked around, slowly trekking over to the book before gingerly picking it up in his trembling hands.

 

“Hey Big Dipper!” Dipper groaned, dropping the book and turning to the demon, eyes narrowed into a sharp glare.

 

“Cipher.” He stated curtly, eyes narrowing to slits as he eyed the demon before him, clearly not in the mood to see him since his little ‘joke’.

 

“Aw c’mon kid!” The demon chirped, floating closer to him, causing the brunette to take a step back, bumping into the seat, falling back onto it. He braced his arms  to his sides, attempting to sit up before being halted by a now gloved, now human hand. Alarms went off, looking up, ready to scream bloody murder at the demon before once again being stopped in his tracks.

 

The demon pressed against him in a harsh kiss, more to silence him than anything else. Dipper’s face contorted into an array of emotions before eventually relaxing into the repulsive act, eyes lidding. There was a spark in the pit of his stomach and his whole frame shook as the demon pulled away.

 

“Now that I have your attention!” He piped up and Dipper snapped out of his trance, blue eyes glaring icy daggers at the demon. “Like the dreams I’ve been giving you, kid?” He hummed, almost seeming interested to hear the other’s two cents.

 

“You know the answer Cipher.” Dipper pointed to his own head with his finger, taking this time to now eye the demon. “Why are you like that anyways.” He fixed his gaze upon the man’s slender face. “The only times I’ve seen you like this, it was never good.” Dipper finished dryly, mouth set into a stern line.

 

“All in due time, Big Dipper” He teased, leaning down again, daring to steal another kiss. When Dipper made no immediate intentions to stop him he pressed on, leaning down, nipping his lower lip, tearing the flesh before suckling on the young man’s lower lip. Dipper arched up, using every fiber of his being to keep himself from uttering a single sound.

 

Bill continued onwards, nipping at his jaw, then his neck, leaving a trail of hickies in its wake. “You’re such a good boy” He cooed, cupping the other’s face in his hand. Rambling to himself before pulling back, earning protests from the man who was formerly beneath him.

 

“Always one to tease and offer, but never give. Hm Cipher?” The other barked a laugh, overly loud and exaggerated, like everything he did.

 

“I never give kid, I only take.” With that the demon took his leave, disappearing through means of ‘visibly’ tears his body apart, most likely to unnerve Dipper. He was rewarded with an eyeroll.

 

\--

 

Poor Pinetree, Bill laughed at himself, peering into the kid’s mind with interest. Kid was having nightmares, as usual. Though not the typical one’s Bill brewed up for him. These ones made even Bill wonder if the kid was alright in the head anymore. He shook himself of his thoughts, deciding to swoop in as Prince Charming would.

 

His entrance was grand, an array of colors and plumes of smoke erupting all around as he forced himself into Dipper’s subconscious, ‘forced’ was a tacky term. He barely had any resistance from the kid. He waltzed over, waving his hand to dispel any lingering dreams.

 

There they sat, in a white room, Dipper on his knees sobbing, Bill looked away, hands resting on his cane before fixating his optic onto the youth.

 

“Hey kid!” Dipper glanced up, the only thing visible in his eyes seemed to be fear. Poor thing. “You seem to need protection of some sort” He hummed, leaning forward, seeing the gleam in Pinetree’s eyes.

  
“What do you have in mind…?” Kid was sold already. Not that Bill would take advantage of him while he was like this, at least he would try. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait though, this here will be a little slower until the Fork in the Road series is done, or at least the two WIPS right now

**Author's Note:**

> Will update this next week, maybe sooner. We've big plans for this!


End file.
